Amber Alert 1, Kidnapper 0: Girl Safe after Escape

A California man with great situational awareness may have saved an 8-year-old’s life today. He recognized a truck described in an Amber Alert and after seeing the young victim in the cab, forced it off the road with his own car. The girl fled the truck and is now safe.

Bystander forces kidnapper off the road

Score another victory for Amber Alerts

Physical and online safety a must for kids, parents

California Man Foils Kidnap Attempt

The abduction occurred in brazen fashion. The accused approached a group of children in broad daylight, and lured the victim into his truck. Two nearby adults yelled warnings but the accused sped away. Police say he fits the description on a man who exposed himself to two girls earlier in the day.

Amber Alert stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response and was created as a legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman. Its purpose is to increase the likelihood that abducted children will be recovered swiftly and safely. Alerts are issued according to criteria selected to maximize the effectiveness of the response. Amber Alerts have helped save the lives of 518 children since the system began.

Of course an ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure. Every parent goes to great lengths to prevent child abduction, and it pays to take a safety checkup periodically. Physical safety is of utmost importance, and now online safety is too. Lax online safety can compromise physical safety. Stalkers are online, waiting to take advantage of naive and gullible kids. And online threats needn’t culminate in physical threats to be harmful. Sextortion is one such threat, as is identity theft.

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